Stellantis NV crowned J.D. Power’s 2021 Initial Quality Study with Ram topping the list followed by Dodge, which had tied for No. 1 with Kia last year.
The survey assessed 32 brands based on the first 90 days of ownership of new vehicles. Five Detroit Three brands bettered the industry average of 162 reported problems per 100 vehicles, which the Ford brand met. Five were worse.
Positive feedback from the Ram 2500 and 3500, which topped the list of heavy-duty trucks, as well as Ram 1500 pickups, which ranked second behind the Toyota Tundra in light-duty trucks, boosted the Ram brand from third place in 2020. It was 21st the prior year.
“This is not a data-point; this is a trend,” Mark Champine, Stellantis’ head of North America customer experience, said in a statement. “We’re proud to say it took another Stellantis brand to beat Dodge.”
Lower scores mean fewer problems reported. Ram’s industry-leading result was 128, an improvement by 13. Dodge was 139, up from 136 last year.